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Best Places to Find Pins at Disney World

Savannah Sanders ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  , 
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Disney Pin Trading has become somewhat of a Disney vacation pastime and is one of my personal favorite things to do when I visit Disney World. What is Disney Pin Trading? Well, all throughout Disney World you will find metal pins for sale representing everything from characters to resorts to attractions to special events. The more pins you purchase, the greater your collection, plus you have great mementos to remember your vacation by; but this souvenir experience is also interactive in that you can trade with Cast Members, or with other guests, if they so choose. It’s a fun activity that everyone can enjoy while exploring the parks and resorts!

Disney Pin Trading - A Glass Slipper Vacation
Disney Pin Trading

Now you will find Disney Pins for sale almost everywhere throughout the parks and resorts, but there are some corners of Disney World where you may find a better selection of pins or those rare, special edition pins or just maybe that one you’ve been hunting for the whole trip. So read on to check out my best places to find pins at Disney World!

Epcot’s Morocco Pavilion – This particular Epcot pavilion is one of my favorites because there’s a lot more to see than just the fountain and restaurants found at the front. The Morocco Pavilion actually extends back farther than what you may realize in a network of exotic, winding streets which contain lots of things to see and a few shops. It’s impressive and trust me, you will have a hard time reminding yourself that you’re actually in Central Florida and not Morocco! Anyway, back to Disney Pins. So because most guests don’t realize that the Morocco pavilion offers more than just what’s at the front door, the Cast Members who work at the rear of the pavilion, and their lanyards, aren’t visited by guests nearly as much as at others. While nothing is guaranteed, Morocco, in my opinion, is a good bet for those rare Cast Member pins!

Stores & Service Locations – Most shops and stores at the parks have their own individual pin boards from which you can trade from. Some stores have their own “themed” boards that match the theme of the land or attraction they belong to, which only makes trading even more fun! Some of the pin boards at the Disney World Resorts are only brought out at certain times and may have a trading limit. If you’re not sure, feel free to ask! In addition, many service locations at Disney World, such as stroller rentals, also have their own pin boards. I’ve even heard of a pin covered stroller with a stuffed Mickey Mouse in the seat from which you can trade at the Magic Kingdom! Pin boards are where I go to in order to trade because you never know what you might find, and very few guests realize that service locations have their own pin boards.

Disney Pin Trading - A Glass Slipper Vacation
Disney Pin Traders at Downtown Disney

The Emporium – One of the largest stores at Disney World is the Magic Kingdom’s Emporium. While typically congested, it’s worth visiting because you can find a wide variety of Disney merchandise, some of which you may not find anywhere else. The Emporium offers a few racks of pins with a decent selection; but the reason I have included it on my list is because it is almost always the location where Magic Kingdom special event pins are sold, like those Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party pins! Be sure to note that they are typically not available for sale all the time, only during party hours and the popular designs do go fast.

Frontierland Trading Post – A visit to the Magic Kingdom for a pin collector is simply not complete without a browse through the Frontierland Trading Post. You see, this store offers a wide selection of Disney Pins, conveniently categorized into sections for your shopping convenience. Some of these sections are dedicated to new releases and limited editions! Avid pin collectors can also a few other pin trading items you probably haven’t seen in most stores on Disney property. If you can leave the store without another shopping bag in tow, you’re a stronger person than I am.

Disney Pin Traders – This Downtown Disney location is the ultimate place to find Disney pins. Pretty much every current pin on property can be found here, including pins from all of the Disney World Resorts and even an assortment from the Disney Cruise Line. This is also where to go for new releases and Annual Passholder pins. To see the best variety and to pick up those rare finds for your collection, this is where you want to go.

Where do you go at Disney World to find pins? Is pin trading a big part of your Disney vacation?

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Savannah Sanders

Savannah has been visiting Disney World since she was a year old and has gone back almost every year since. In the real world, she teaches high school history and government and enjoys writing about all things Disney. Savannah can be reached on Twitter @DisneyParkSavvy.

7 thoughts on “Best Places to Find Pins at Disney World”

  • Thanks for the information. I have enjoyed starting a pin collection my last couple trips. I am just curious how does everyone show or display their pins when they get home? This could be a great follow-up article.

    • I’ve got mine up on a corkboard mounted to the wall. It’s a fun way to gather all of the themed ones together. Just make sure you hang onto the backs somewhere!

  • A favorite subject! I’ll have to give Morocco a try–that’s a new idea to me.

    In my experience, special party pins for MNSSHP and the Christmas party are at Frontierland, though this may have changed this year–word was that at the first MSNNHP pins were both places.

    The ‘trading strollers’ are getting to be more common. The first one I found was Duffy at the Epcot stroller rental, but I traded with at the Mickey stroller in MK recently, and HS and AK also have pin strollers. Visit these in the middle of the day, when stroller rentals are not so busy.

    The themed pin boards are really cool: the drum at the Rock’n’Roller Coaster shop, safari vest at the store outside AK, and the popcorn boxes in the Circus store in MK are just some examples.

    Guest Services at every park has a pin book. Most deluxe resorts have pin books at the concierge and sometimes bell services. The moderates have tended to have pin boards at the concierge or check-in desk. However, pin trading locations change constantly–books become boards, boards appear and disappear, etc. What we do is to ask in any larger store and at resort desks, and often they’ll have something.

    And last, a couple of pin-trading characters: trade with King Pin at the store in Jambo House at AKL (3 PM most afternoons, I think), and try to find Scoop the reporter, one of the MK Main Street characters, to trade with him. Scoop isn’t around every day, but sometimes is part of the MK opening show. Catch him then and ask if he’ll be trading pins later (and where). 10 am at the wooden Indian is common.

    • This is awesome info! Thanks so much for sharing!

  • In Disneyland Paris they often have a small display of unboxed Vinylmations behind the cash registers that you can trade with the Cast Member who is working there. Do they have the same thing in WDW?

    • Sarah, great question! Last I heard, Vinylmations can only be traded at certain locations throughout Walt Disney World. If you happen to be visiting the parks soon, feel free to ask a Cast Member for an updated list of the stores who are trading.

      • I’ve seen Vinylmation trading at Frontierland Trading Post many times, but it seemed to be right after a guest purchased Vinylmation there.

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